LIVE | Our political squabbles end when it comes to coronavirus, says Ramaphosa
2020-03-18 06:07
Stay up to date with the latest news, views and analysis as the number of coronavirus cases in SA increases.
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Saturday morning parkruns cancelled due to coronavirus
In a statement issued on Wednesday by Bruce Fordyce, president of parkrun South Africa, it has been confirmed that the ever-popular Saturday 5km runs have been cancelled.
The other virus threat: Surge in coronavirus themed cyber attacks
It may look like an email from a supervisor with an attachment on the new "work from home policy." But it could be a cleverly designed scheme to hack into your network.
The abrupt move of millions of people to working remotely has sparked an unprecedented volume of attacks to trick people into giving up credentials to attackers, according to security researchers.
"We've never seen anything like this," said Sherrod DeGrippo, head of threat research for the security firm Proofpoint.
"We are seeing campaigns with message volumes up to hundreds of thousands which are leveraging this coronavirus."
The pandemic has created a perfect storm for cyber attacks, with millions of people working in unfamiliar, less secure circumstances and eager for information about the virus and new organisational policies being implemented.
This opens up a new avenue for malicious actors using phishing emails or "social engineering" to gain access or steal sensitive information.
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Australia tells citizens to come home, and stop travelling abroad
Australia urged its citizens on Wednesday not to travel abroad and warned those already overseas to rush home as it imposed unprecedented steps to choke off the spread of the coronavirus epidemic taking off Down Under.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison also ordered a halt to "non-essential" indoor gatherings of more than 100 people, on top of an existing ban on outdoor events of more than 500 that has stunned the sports-mad nation.
Although Morrison called the travel crackdown an "indefinite ban" on foreign trips, the official advice released by the government was couched as a recommendation.
"Regardless of your destination, age or health, our advice is do not travel at this time," the foreign ministry's "Smart Traveller" alert said.
IMF rejects Venezuela request for billions in virus aid
The International Monetary Fund on Tuesday rejected economically devastated Venezuela's request for a $5 billion loan to help it cope with the coronavirus pandemic.
President Nicolas Maduro made the request earlier on Tuesday but, in a statement hours later, the Washington-based institution indirectly cited a dispute over Maduro's leadership in denying his petition.
Coronavirus in SA: Cases increase to 116, with 6 new local transmissions
South Africa now has 116 confirmed cases of Covid-19 - an increase of 31 new cases since Tuesday.
Political leaders make a point of elbow bump greeting
Appeals to churches to co-operate with government and to
pray for a solution
ACDP leader Kenneth Meshoe thanks government for the facts
Pieter Groenewald of the FF+ calls on people to co-operate
so that a state of emergency is avoided
Calls on the churches to listen to government
Warns against those who may want to take advantage
Asks private hospitals not to make profit during this time
EFF leader Julius Malema asks business people not to
escalate pricing
Calls for people to stop panic buying and fake news
Thanks Ramaphosa for the strategy so far.
Calls on big business to get involved
The virus is spreading and it is necessary that we close
ranks and work together
We must confront the virus together and fight on the same
side
Coronavirus presents a threat to the economy
People must not stockpile
Our political squabbles and differences end when it comes to
coronavirus
We must avoid fake news and rumour mongering
Unnecessary physical contact and alcohol use can exacerbate infections
Political leaders will desist from having large public
gatherings
All political leaders felt that all South Africans must take
responsibility for their actions
There must be continuous communication from government
Covid-19 poses a great threat to our nation, but we are not
helpless
Our overwhelming must be for the health of the poor, elderly
and vulnerable
We accept our duty to provide guidance and leadership to our
people
All of us share a common desire to keep our people safe
Political parties are standing together across party
political divides
We need to work with unity of purpose and solidarity
Country finds itself an extreme situation, says Ramaphosa
President Ramaphosa gets ready to brief the media following
a meeting with political parties
Zimbabwe declares disaster state even though it has no confirmed cases
Zimbabwe's president has declared a state of national disaster as the country anticipates the impact of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) – even though there are no confirmed infections there.
The new 31 cases are as follows:
GAUTENG: 16
KWAZULU-NATAL:3
MPUMALANGA: 2
WESTERN CAPE: 10
There has been a further increase of 6 local transmission cases.
Health Minister Zwelini Mkhize says that as part of tracking and tracing, they have collated background information on how these patients were infected.
They will provide information to the public, so as to give a sense of how these local transmissions occur.
Mkhize says they will not disclose full details as this information is subject to patient confidentiality.
Corona be damned: Nehawu insists on marching over civil servant wages
While president Cyril Ramaphosa may have banned gatherings of more than 100 people in reaction to the coronavirus crisis, the National Education, Health and Allied Workers Union will go ahead with a march in protest of public sector wage hikes.
President to meet opposition leaders
President Cyril Ramaphosa was locked in a meeting with the leaders of South Africa’s political parties on Wednesday to talk about the country’s response to the coronavirus.
In a statement, the presidency said this would be part of the wide-ranging consultation process he was currently engaged in after announcing a national state of disaster on Sunday night.
Ramaphosa and the leaders of the opposition parties are expected to address the media after the meeting which is taking place at Tuynhuys in Cape Town.
(Photo: Bertram Magalas, News24)
No water, no room: Containing an outbreak in South Africa
South Africa could see almost 20 000 cases of the coronavirus by May, according to preliminary modelling projections - but in a country with high inequality, real solutions are unlikely to come from the government.
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The Covid-19 virus is on everyone’s minds and may have you wondering whether your particular symptoms are something to be concerned about.
